Changing Worlds
by Artemis-chan of Redwing
Summary: A mysterious girl with interesting powers shows up at Hogwarts. Not a Mary Sue, but there is a bit of a crossover. Romance coming sometime soon, I promise! CH. 4 UP!
1. Arrival

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A/N: I own nothing. You people should know that by now. I'm using these characters and situations for amusement only, and I promise I'll put them back soon, k? This idea came to me at swim practice, so I apologize if everything seems a bit weird.

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A/N III: Here is the revised edition. I wanted to change a few thing so I could work with continuing it. Not much has changed, but then again, I might change more than I think. ^_^;;

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Changing Worlds

She was tired. She had been walking around for hours with no sign of civilization anywhere. She was lost as well. One minute, she had been home with her family, and then… She shook her head, trying to lose that train of thought. She wasn't quite ready to dwell on those facts yet.

The young girl, who couldn't have been any older than sixteen, had been told that she was exceptionally beautiful for her age, just like her mother. But she hadn't inherited everything from her mother. No, Dagger (for that was her name) definitely had her father's sense of adventure, as well as his street-wise skills. And she had gotten her tail from him.

That tail had caused quite a stir among the royalty of Gaia. It wasn't everyday that the Queen of Alexandria married a thief who also happened to be from another world, and produced an heir who was quite an interesting combination of summoner, Terran, and royalty.

In case you haven't noticed, young Dagger is the Princess of Alexandria, daughter of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII and Zidane Tribal. She had long black hair like her mother, except hers had natural light blonde highlights, a gift from her father. Her tail matched her hair, black with blond streaks, and her eyes were a brilliant blue. She was also gifted with a summoner's horn, and could communicate with several eidolons. Clothed in a nearly skintight blue jumpsuit and low-cut, puffy-sleeved white shirt(1).

However, despite her standing as a princess, Dagger was lost in a dark, scary forest somewhere. She had no idea where she was, as the last thing she remembered was something attacking the castle, and a bright flash of light, and then she was in the forest.

A howl sounded behind Dagger, and, for all of her seasoned adventuring, scared her. Nothing she knew on Gaia sounded like that. Forgetting any sense of direction she might have had in the strange forest, Dagger ran. She lost track of how long she ran, but by the time she topped, she was exhausted.

Dagger looked about her, trying to get her bearings. It appeared that she was out of the forest and near an enormously large castle. There was a small stone cottage close to the forest, and further away stood a large open field with hoops on poles at both ends.

Looking up towards the castle, Dagger noticed several children around her age walking around the grounds. She began walking towards them but then noticed that the castle door were open. Using her thief's cat-like grace, she slipped into the massive structure unnoticed.

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Not many noticed the new girl sneaking through the halls, but those that did didn't see much, just a flash of color disappearing around a corner.

Dagger, meanwhile, was having a ball sneaking around the aged halls. She was, however, beginning to feel hungry. It was coming on towards dinner, and the children all seemed to be gathering in the large hall on the first floor. The young princess decided to follow suit.

She was, however, slightly late as she walked through the large door. The entire Hall, which was packed with four tables of children and a table of adults, turned to look at her. Dagger's tail lashed nervously behind her.

"I don't suppose that anyone could tell me where exactly I am, could they?" Dagger looked around, bashful and hopeful at the same time. An old man stood at the head table.

"Miss, if you would follow me, I believe I can answer your questions." The old man's voice reached her over the crowd, and Dagger trustingly followed him out of the Hall.

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(1) – Think game-Dagger's outfit, except in blue. ^_^;;

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A/N II: Well, as you can see, this is a bit of a FF9/Harry Potter crossover. Give me time, and I will make this more than two chapters. Please review. Sometimes, reviews mean so much to authors, if for no other reason than to show that someone out there is reading their work. It's great for the ego. ^_^;;


	2. (Some) Explanations

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A/N: Well, here's chapter two!! Give me some leeway with this, k? I just write what comes out of my head and onto the computer. I honest, at this moment, have very little idea where this one is going. ^_^;;

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Changing Worlds

Out in the corridor, the old man turned to the princess. He had rather long white hair and beard and friendly, twinkling blue eyes.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. May I ask who you are?" The man was extremely polite to Dagger and put her at ease. She was not sure, however, if she should tell him her true name, or give him her Tantalus alias. 'Why not both?' she thought, deciding.

"My real name is Dagger Alexandros Tribal, but the thieves of Lindblum know me as Emerald Crescent. I'm the Princess of Alexandria as well as a thief/actor of Tantalus." She smiled at the Headmaster. "I don't know how I got here."

Dumbledore looked at her, confused. "Where exactly is Alexandria?" he asked. Dagger was surprised.

"It's on the Mist Continent, neighbored by Burmecia and Lindblum. I thought everyone knew that," she replied uncertainly. The old man looked troubled.

"Oh, dear," he murmured. "Princess, I'm afraid that you seem to have changed worlds. Here, on Earth, none of the countries you mentioned exist."

Dagger's eyes widened in shock. "You mean I'm not on Gaia anymore…?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"I'm also afraid there's not much I can do for you at the moment. You can stay here, Princess, until my staff and I can find a way to send you home." He looked at the young girl questioningly.

The princess nodded. "Yeah," she said, choking back tears, "that'll be fine. Thank you." Dagger followed him down the corridor to his office, which was hidden behind a stone gargoyle.

Dumbledore muttered a password that sounded like "Milky Way" and showed the young princess into the room. There, he briefed her on life at the castle/school and sorted her by placing an old, beat up hat on her head. It barely even hesitated to shout out "GRYFFINDOR!" The Headmaster then proceeded to explain the Houses and points for her. By the time he was done, Dagger was just a bit full of information and still sorting through it. One thing the Professor had said stood out in her mind, however.

"Excuse me, sir, but you said that they teach magic here?" Dagger asked hopefully. Dumbledore nodded. "What kind of magic, exactly? Because, well, I'm a White Mage and a Summoner, and Vivi and Quina even tried to teach me some Black and Blue Magic, respectively…" the princess's voice trailed off at the look on the old man's face.

"I take it there aren't any of those types of Mages here?" she ventured a guess. Again, a nod.

"I'm sorry, dear, but we'll see what kind of curriculum we can come up with for you. Do you have a wand?" At his question, Dagger looked confused. Then, she silently produced her weapons: the Gladius daggers (a gift from her father), her mother's Healing Rod, and Aunt Eiko's flute, Hamelin, and placed them on the desk.

"These are all I have, sir," she said, indicating the weapons. "Mom's rod, Dad's daggers, and Aunt Eiko's flute. I can cast Cure, Cura, and Curaga as well as Float, Mini, Holy, and Full-Life. And I can summon Shiva, Leviathan, Bahamut, and Carbuncle, though I heard that Mom, and Aunt Eiko once summoned Alexander…" Again, Dagger's voice trailed off, though this time not because of the odd look she was receiving.

The Headmaster cleared his throat to gain her attention. "Miss Tribal, I will be speaking with you again on this matter. Right now, I believe, it would be best if I accompanied you to the Gryffindor dorms and allowed you to get some rest." He led the princess out of his office and down several corridors to a painting of a large woman in a pink dress. The old man gave her a password ("Kender") and showed her into the common room.

The room itself was done in red and gold, with a fire in the fireplace and two staircases leading up in on opposite sides of the room. Dumbledore pointed Dagger towards one of the staircases, saying that it was the girls' dorms and that she'd be in the sixth year room. Dagger thanked him and made her way in the direction indicated, ignoring the few students sitting on the couches.

Upon reaching the correct door, the princess opened it, looked about, and proceeded to collapse on the only bed without a trunk at the foot.

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A/N II: Well, it took me a bit to write this, but I'm trying here, okay? I'll be trying to get the next chapter out soon. This is my first story that is greater than two chapters!! ^_^;; The next chapter will include… the Trio's reaction to the new girl, Dagger's first day of classes, and introductions galore!!! Fini-9:06 PM, 3/15/02


	3. Introduction to a White Mage

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A/N: Ooh, lots of apologies here! I am so sorry about the delay. I had most of this chapter written back in April, but then I got back up with schoolwork and now I've lost the disk. ;_; So, I have to start from what I remember for this chapter. I apologize for the wait.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing here, except the plotline. Characters and places belong to people much richer than I. I am just a (somewhat) poor high school student who likes to spend her money on Anime and Harry Potter. I reiterate: I own not these things!

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Changing Worlds – 3

Three best friends looked at each other with wide eyes after the strange girl had departed to the dormitories. A rather tall boy with Red hair looked between his friends, a shorter boy with unruly black hair and green eyes, and a girl with bushy brown hair. All three nodded, silently agreeing that that was definitely one of the oddest things they had ever experienced.

"Hermione," spoke the black haired child, "did she have a tail?" The girl of the group's eyes widened slightly more as she took in the information. Before she could speak, however, the other boy spoke.

"Harry, Hermione, why don't we just discuss this in the morning, once we get a chance to know her?" Hermione sighed as Harry agreed with Ron. It almost sounded to her as if Ron was interested n this new girl. Hermione carried these thoughts with her as she proceeded up the stairs to bed.

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The early morning sun shone brightly on Dagger's face as the curtains around her four poster bed were ripped aside, accompanied by a rather cheery "Good Morning!" The princess promptly groaned and rolled away from the rays of evilness in an attempt to gain a few more minutes of sleep. She became slightly more awake when then same voice as before said, "Wake up! Surely you don't want to be late on your first day here, do you?"

At this Dagger rolled back and opened her eyes to see a girl with bushy brown hair dressed in black robes. Both girls quickly glanced at the princess's jumpsuit and decided that it would have to do until robes could be acquired. They eyed each other warily for several moments before Dagger extended her hand.

"Hi, I'm Dagger Tribal." The other girl smiled.

"Hermione Granger. Umm… Out of curiosity… Why do you have a tail?" Hermione asked uncomfortably. Afraid she was being rude, she rushed, "I mean, I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just curious, I've never seen anyone with a tail like that before…" The young witch's voice trailed off at the amused look her new friend was giving her.

"It's okay, really," the princess laughed. "I get it all the time from people who don't know my family. Let's just say it's part of my inheritance." She smiled mysteriously at her new friend before pulling her down the stairs to the Common Room. Waiting for them were Ron and Harry, who gaped in surprise at Dagger's outfit. Dagger, oblivious as she tended to be regarding male hormones, greeted them with a smile.

From there, Hermione took the lead. "Ron, Harry, this is Dagger Tribal. Dagger, these are my best friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." All three looked at Dagger for some kind of recognition of Harry's name, but, alas, it was in vain. Dagger showed no reaction to Harry, and the group took it in stride, though they were a bit curious. The now foursome walked down to the Great Hall chatting about unimportant things, like teachers and classes. Dagger was mostly silent, quietly taking in the useful information.

Upon arrival at the Hall, it fell silent, reminding Dagger eerily of the night before. Just then, however, the Headmaster stood up and began his introductions.

"I believe that most of you have noticed our new student here at Hogwarts. Her name is Dagger Tribal and she uses a style of magic quite different from what we all use. Miss Tribal is in fact from a different world. She has somehow jumped dimensions and arrived here last night. I ask that you do not overly harass Miss Tribal or bother her about her appearance. She has been sorted into Gryffindor and will follow the 5th year class schedule. Thank you." Dumbledore returned to his seat.

Now Dagger, having had experience being the center of attention, put on her "princess mask" and calmly walked with her new friends to the Gryffindor table. Even for that short distance, though, the feel of all of the eyes in the Hall on her was unnerving.

The princess sat down between Hermione and Harry, with Ron on Hermione's other side. Sitting across from them were three boys and two girls. The boys, one of who had oddly dark colored skin, stared wide-eyed at Dagger while the girls oohed and aahhed at her clothes. Dagger looked uncomfortable before snapping a somewhat hushed "What?"

That snapped everyone out of their respective dazes. Hermione, having become Dagger's tour guide, began the introductions. "Dagger, these are Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Guys, this is Dagger Tribal." Handshakes were exchanged all around before everyone returned to breakfast.

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As Dagger, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were leaving the Great Hall on their way to their fist class of the day a blond boy approached them. The princess was slightly surprised to see her new friends' faces turn sour at the sight of this boy.

"The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself. Dagger couldn't help but think of how he reminded her of the nobles at court back home. The thought of home depressed her for a moment before she recovered and shook his hand.

"Dagger Tribal. Pleased to meet you," she replied, returning for a few moments to the task of being a princess and being forced to be nice to everyone. Her smile was bright, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her new friends were a bit shocked by her behavior, staring at the civil interaction. Malfoy nodded to her and moved on down the corridor.

Dagger let her mask drop and was met with the confused gazes of her friends. She sighed and then giggled. "I've had to deal with his kind before," she said by way of explanation. "So full of themselves, thinking that they are the sole reason I exist." She grinned and rolled her eyes, causing Hermione to burst out laughing. Ron and Harry follow a few seconds later with more guarded laughter as the quartet moved toward their first class.

Said first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, currently being taught by Remus Lupin once again*. The first thing he did was call Dagger to the front of the classroom. "Now," he began, "Professor Dumbledore has enlightened some of the staff to your…peculiar powers. Since this is a defense class, would you please show them your…" he looked at a slip of paper on his desk, "float spell." He smiled encouragingly at her.

Dagger swallowed and was just about to cast the spell when something occurred to her. "Excuse me, sir," the white mage asked softly, "on whom would you wish me to cast Float?" Professor Lupin seemed intrigued by her request and, after scanning the class quickly, motioned Harry to the front.

"Try it on Harry. He's good at being a guinea pig." Lupin smiled a bit at the two teenagers. "Go ahead, Miss Tribal." Dagger looked uncertainly at her friend. Harry nodded, giving his new friend his consent. Dagger took a deep breath, pulled out Hamelin and blew a now-familiar melody into it. A swirl of magic surrounded her briefly as she faced Harry. Almost immediately the famous wizard began to float about two feet off the ground. The class gasped in astonishment. Dagger couldn't help but grin at Harry and the professor, who were also looking at her in amazement.

"Harry," the mage began, "you should be fine as for moving around. It'll wear off in about an hour, I think. My mom cast Float on the whole castle staff when we had the carpets redone a few years back." Dagger started giggling. "That was an amusing sight, especially Quina…" Chuckling to herself, Dagger looked at the professor for his reaction.

Lupin regarded the princess with a good deal of respect. "I have never before seen a spell quite like that one. Would you mind demonstrating some of your other spell for the class?" Dagger considered the question for several moments before replying in the affirmative. At a request for volunteers, both Ron and Hermione raised their hands and were told to proceed to the front of the room.

"Hermione, I'm going to cast Mini on you, but I also have a Remedy to cure you, so don't worry." Dagger used the Healing Rod to cast Mini on Hermione, who was soon only about a foot tall. After letting Hermione experience the spell for a few minutes, Dagger pulled out one of her two remaining Remedies and poured it on her friend. The class cheered. Ron was next,

Dagger looked at him nervously before turning to Lupin. "Professor, would it be okay to slightly injure Ron in order to do the next spell?"

Lupin's eyes widened. "If Ron doesn't mind, but be careful." Dagger looked at Ron and he nodded a yes, not trusting his voice. She reverently pulled out the Gladius daggers from their sheaths, closing her eyes in brief homage to her father. Before Ron could react, she had slashed across his upper arms.

Quickly Dagger sheathed her namesakes and pulled out the Healing Rod once again, cast Cura hastily. Almost immediately the wound closed and the bleeding stopped. Dagger grinned. "I'm getting better. That looked to be about twenty points of damage, but I healed it with about 600 points. Shoulda used Cure instead of Cura…" the princess's voice trailed off.

Professor Lupin startled the mage-summoner out of her thoughts. "Miss Tribal, I would like to see you after classes this afternoon. Please stop by my office before diner." Dagger nodded and moved back to her seat, aware of the stares on her. Professor Lupin then began his lesson.

*I didn't feel like creating a new DADA teacher, so Lupin's back.

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A/NII: Well, sorry that took so long to get out. I'm trying here, but I'm leaving for work at a Girl Scout camp in about a week, so I probably won't get any more chapters out before then. I'll work on the next one while I'm up there, but it'll take a while. ^_^;; Next chapter, look for a talk with Remus and Dumbledore, Daggers summons, and more group bonding!!

3 June 2002 8:46 PM


	4. Time to Show Your Stuff!

**A/N:** Anou, here's chapter four. I hope I'm not doing too horribly here. Please review! ^_^

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Disc.: Today's fanfiction is brought to you by the suffix "-ing," as in "violating" and "copywriting," but also "forgiving" and "not suing." See, my disclaimer isn't even mine!!

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Changing Worlds – 4

Professor Lupin was not the only person waiting for Dagger when she arrived at his offices that evening before diner. The headmaster was calmly sipping tea in one of the professor's armchairs. "Please enter, Miss Tribal, and take a seat," Dumbledore waved her in. The princess slowly entered the office and sat down in the other armchair, feeling just slightly nervous. Professor Lupin came in from a back room just then.

"Ah, Dagger, good to see you again." Lupin remained standing, and soon started pacing the room. "Would you please," he paused in his pacing for a moment, "let the Headmaster and I see what you called a 'Remedy'? We are interested in how exactly it works." He looked at Dagger expectantly. She was surprised at the request, expecting something more along the lines of another spell demonstration, and as such it was a moment before the princess removed the last of her healing potions from her extradimensional pocket(1).

"Here, sir, but it's my last one. I'd like it back sometime," Dagger said with a slight smile. Mother had always told her that her smile was one of her best features, and that she must always smile through the worst of it.

The Headmaster seemed quite amused by her words, and said, while suppressing a chuckle, "Of course, Miss Tribal. Remus, send that down to Severus for examination as soon as you can. Now, Miss Tribal, I do believe that your friends are awaiting you in the Great Hall." At his words, Dagger suddenly realized that her new companions were most likely worried about her, and she ran down to the Hall to eat dinner.

After the princess had left, Dumbledore turned to Lupin. "An interesting girl. I do believe that she is one of those who shall always live in Interesting Times(2). It's probably a family curse."

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The next morning broke bright and early for the new Hogwarts Quartet. Dagger and Hermione had gone to sleep only after a late night Girl-Talk session, in which Dagger had found out that the other girl was slightly jealous of the princess because Ron like Dagger and not Hermione. Dagger, meanwhile, had no interest whatsoever in the redhead, who was clearly head-over-heels for her brunette roommate.

As such, the coming of the new day was not exactly a welcome treat. However, after an amusing breakfast during which Seamus got shot down while trying to flirt with Lavender, the first class was a slightly extracurricular Dueling Class. It had been added, Dagger was informed, the year before for 5th, 6th, and 7th students. Dagger had a sinking feeling that she was going to be calling up some old friends today.

And such was the case. Dueling Classes were held by all four houses at the same time, and as such all four Heads of House were present. It was McGonagall, surprisingly, who called upon Dagger for demonstration. (The Quartet had personally been expecting Snape to be the one to cause Dagger's exhibition.) "Miss Tribal," began the Transfigurations professor, "would you please step up to the dueling platform?" The princess sighed and obliged.

All eyes were on the summoner, and for the first time people noticed her horn, a feature generally hidden by her unique and thick hair. McGonagall was briefly explaining part of the situation to the gathered students, i.e. the fact that Dagger could use a different type of magic than everyone else here. When the professor had finished, Dagger looked at her questioningly. "Any preferences?" 

McGonagall shook her head. "Whichever would do the least amount of damage to us," she said quickly.

Dagger nodded and quickly summoned Carbuncle. As she had no particular special stones on her, a brief shower of red lights fell upon her. The effect, however, didn't quite leave completely. It seemed as if tiny red sparkles were flickering in and out of existence around the princess's torso.

A snort sounded near the back of the group. "Is that all?" a snide voice remarked. 

Dagger turned toward the voice to glare before saying loudly, "I'd like to be outside if I'm to pull out all the stops. That is," she paused looking at the assembled teachers, "if it's okay with you?" Some eyebrows were raised, though general assent was given. Dagger led the way out of the castle to a spacious area.

"Now," she said, using some of her acting skills for the crowd, "you'll see what this is all about." She pulled out her mother's rod and searched for a target, which appeared in the form of an innocent bush near the forest. The girl quickly summoned Bahamut.

The great dragon-beast came roaring down from the sky, which had suddenly turned somewhat dark. Bahamut soared over the classes collective heads before spinning upright near its target, letting out a nearly deafening roar. The dragon-beast reared back its head, gathering power for the attack known as Mega Flare. In a great blast, the creature loosed its power on the unsuspecting bush, leaving it in ashes in a split second. The class, needless to say, was stunned.

Dagger sighed in relief as she returned to herself. That was always the hardest part of summoning, she reflected. One tended to lose one's conscious self in the mind of the creature summoned. Carbuncle wasn't bad, as it barely was a beast. However, summoning Odin or Bahamut constantly was tiring mentally.

The princess was not the only one sighing in relief. Remus Lupin, for one, had been slightly worried at the state of his new student. He had seen her slump a bit when the beast was summoned, and watched her closely.

Also, Harry had been slightly startled at the prowess of his new friend. She could certainly startle the living daylights out of half of the teaching staff, that was for sure. And half of the school was now in shock that someone that small and innocent-looking could call upon a beast of such magnificent power. Harry grinned before running out to catch Dagger in a hug.

"That was brilliant, Dagger!" The girl grinned and blushed a bit at the praise. At the consent of the staff, today's Dueling Class was over, and the four friends returned to their common room.

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The view out of the window was absolutely gorgeous. It made Dagger's heart ache for Alexandria, or Lindblum. Almost unconsciously, the princess began singing, a slow, almost haunting melody.

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Ate monaku sama yotte ita

Tegakari monaku sagashi tsuzuketa

Anata ga kureta omoi de o kokoro o iyasu uta nishite

Yakusoku mo suru koto monaku kawasu koto bamo kimetari mosezu

Dakishime soshite tashika mete hibiwa nido to kaeranau

Kioku no naka no te ofuru anata wa

Watashi no namae o yobuko toga deki runo

Afureru sono namida o kagaya kuyuu kini kaete

Inochi wa tsuzuku yoruo koe uta gau koto nonai ashitare totsuzuku

Dagger was so into the song that she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Hermione.

"Dagger, that's a gorgeous song. What does it mean?" The bushy-haired girl, ever curious, gently questioned her roommate.

"I can try to translate it. It's in my mother's native language." Dagger took a breath. "_I have been searching blindly and with no purpose for a long time, using my thoughts of you to make a song to heal my heart. We didn't make any promises and we didn't exchange anything. We embraced and I was certain we could never come back to this. In my memories, can you call out my name? These flowing tears can become shining courage. Life goes on. Your song will continue on to tomorrow._ That's as far as I got." Dagger glanced brief at her friends, noting the looks of slight admiration, and ran up to her bed, mumbling about needing some sleep.

At Harry's somewhat pleading look, Hermione shook her head. That girl needed some time alone, and she wasn't about to intrude upon it. It had been a long day, and before too long, the Gryffindor Trio made its was to bed.

*Yes, Dagger needs an extradimensional space pocket. How else does she carry all those weapons?

*From the old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times."

A/N: Well, another chapter hammered out. Please tell me what you think of this. I'm seriously considering dropping it. I have no idea where this is going, if it's going anywhere, and I just need some feedback. Please R&R!! Also, lyrics to Melodies of Life and translation were taken from animelyrics.com. I don't have to skill to translate that, or read the kana for that matter. Umm, that's all for now. Ja ne!


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